Moorhead City Council: More weather sirens needed?

Moorhead Fire Department officials told City Council members Monday night that outdoor warning sirens are not effective at alerting people who are indoors that dangerous weather is approaching.

Nonetheless, several council members said they would like siren “density” increased to boost the odds people indoors will hear them, especially at night.

“This is a very big issue for me,” said Mark Hintermeyer.

“My nightmare is a Wadena event,” he added, referring to Wadena, Minn., which was hit by a tornado earlier this year.

The Moorhead City Council asked the Fire Department to research siren effectiveness after a storm this past summer raised questions about whether all of the city’s sirens were activated, and if they were, could they be heard by people in their homes.

Fire officials said Monday siren manufacturers and federal agencies agree that outdoor sirens are designed to alert people who are outside to possible danger and that outdoor sirens are not effective at reaching people indoors.